Sunday, July 13, 2008

Second home in UniMAP

Guten Tag (good day) everyone.....I finally learned German...haha. I started going to German class already but this is the story yet to come......

HELLOOOOOO everyone....I miss you guys really much. It's really sad they don't allow usage of MSN messenger here. I've changed to Skype so anyone who wants to add me just add my email. It's been three weeks since I've been here. So much to say in just one little blog post. I'll try to shorten things but you guys know me right *winks* I write blog like writing essays...hehe. Just like I've said on the 29th of June 2008, I have gone to study in University Malaysia Perlis or UniMAP. Lot's of things have happened past this seemingly long three weeks. Being in a foreign place (I've never been to Perlis before) and leaving my beloved hometown Penang brings tears to my eyes. For the first few days somehow I don't know why I can't stop these troublesome tears from appearing in my eyes. As a matter of fact there many droplets of tears falling from my eyes and quite frequently too. I'm okay now...so don't anyone of you worry about me. Sorry Mom to make you worry.

We had an orientation week and I stayed in one of UniMAP's campus (Did you know that UniMAP is a distributed campus all over Perlis? No you don't know?? I don't either before...haha) I've stayed in Kampung Wai in Kolej Kediaman Tun Abdul Razak (KKB) for three days. It was so bloody hot there. The weather here is really funny. Sometimes it rains heavily sometimes the sun shines brightly and the air is hot and humid. It's changes so fast and I got sick because of the weather. There's a part of me which don't want to be here at first. I'm slowly accepting it. As a matter of fact, I found quite many friends here. Don't you "old ones" worry, I won't forget about you guys. Living in Kampung Wai was luckily for a few days only. We were moved to Wang Ulu to stay there permanently for a year i think. What's your first impression of Wang Ulu??? Very Ulu or a lot of Wang??? The truth is Wang Ulu is very deep in to the hills and it takes quite awhile to reach. But the air here is really nice and the weather is so much better than Kampung Wai...it's not so hot. I'm staying in an apartment block which is Block 11 first floor. There are four floors altogether and I'm so glad I wasn't put in the highest floor. I would have walked up the stairs everyday and have muscle ache. The house is a three bedroom apartment which five people will share and I'm living with a roomate in one of the double bedrooms. My room mate is from Sarawak and her name is Li Sze.

Back to the orientation week. After the orientation week, I went to Kem Bina Negara for Biro Tatanegara in guess where??? Langkawi!!!! I've never been to Langkawi and the first time I'm going, I'm going to go to live in a dorm just like National Service...haiz....Neway, BTN was a bit different from NS. We were put into groups to do group work. I was in a group with all Malays and one Indian guys. I was one lonely girl there. Fortunately, I'm a very friendly person although shy, I have gotten well enough with most of them in my group....hehe... One of them in fact is my housemate Nana (her name is actually Liyana). Overall, the camp is about being patriotic and loving your country. It also builds your sense of kinship to all Malaysian no matter what race they are. Unite we stand divided we fall. I did have a chance to go shopping for 45 minutes in Langkawi before going home. Sorry guys I didn't buy anything for you guys. I'm trying to save up. I did took some photos for all to see. It's nothing though. Maybe the next time we go together, I'll buy you guys chocolate and we'll take more photos.

( Kem Bina Negara Langkawi)

( Our food in the camp)
( Langkawi's jetty)
(In the ferry back from Langkawi)

After returning from Langkawi, I have started my classes on Monday. Phewww....was it exhausting. As you know now, UniMAP is a distributed campus all over Perlis and I have ride bus to reach my classes. It's very exhausting to try to catch buses and wait for buses to come. In Perlis there's no cinema or theater. There used to be one but it is now use as a hall for UniMAP. So you can say the whole Perlis is practically UniMAP's. as I told you, I've moved to Wang Ulu or known as Kolej Kediaman Tan Sri Aishah Ghani. This place is very far from Kangar and very lonely. Without buses to travel out we are dead because the only way to travel quick to classes is taking buses or you have a car to drive. The houses here are bigger and more spacious than in Kampung Wai. There's only one problem which is to find food. There are Malay food here. Don't get me wrong, I like Malay food but I miss my Chinese food and soup. My mom and dad came and visit once after I return from BTN and they bring me soup. That was so delicious. I miss Penang food. Luckily there are Chinese food here but you have to travel to kangar to have them. It means taking buses again. It's tiring especially when the bus is full and you have to stand. I stood once for 20 or more on a trip home from Kangar and I was perspiring all the way and felt so hot.
(Majlis Ramah Mesra UniMAP)


(My ex-room mate in Kg Wai's luggage and mine..it's alot right..haha)
(Sheau Sy...my Kg Wai room mate in white tee and the Kg Wai's house)
(Wang Ulu's apartment building...my block)
(My apartment)
(My bed...)
(My Wang Ulu room mate...Li Sze)
Do you know how to go back from Perlis by bus to Penang?? I do now. Just that it is really tiring to come back. I came back last week for two days. It's worth it though. I have to take a bus from Kangar, Perlis to Butterworth, Penang. There is no bus straight to Penang Island and sadly we have to take a ferry back to Penang Island. Can you believe that? Haizzz...it's so troublesome especially when I bought some things back Perlis from Penang and I have to walk up the Jetty....so tiring. It cost RM 10.40 + RM 1.20 to reach Penang compared to my parents fetching me from perlis which will cost more than RM 80. I rather save their money than wasting it asking them to drive in just to fetch me. Not worth it. When I took a bus back from Penang, the bus ticket were actually sold out for the time we want to go back. Me and Loo Wen were stranded in Butterworth for 2 hours before the available bus leaves and when we reach Perlis there was no longer any shuttle bus home to our living place and we had to take a taxi. Tiring trip just to be home but it was still worth it just to be home cuddling my pillow, taking a hot shower, going out with Hui Ping and Ju and breathing in Penang's polluted air. Hahaha....

(Ferry back home...Penang never look so beautiful then)
(My mom's 1st car that she saw someone else driving...it was long ago that she sold it and it's still on the road)

Lectures have started now and things are getting quite hectic. I'm taking German classes and I have no idea what German language is about. Class started and it was not bad. Need to remember those German words though. It's pretty tough to pronouced some. Did some arc welding and gas welding. It was really scared. You can hear exploding sounds and the heat frome the welding process was pretty hot. I was scared but tried to do my best in welding. Still I suck at it. I'm not really a good welder. Classes end sometimes at 5 something and some around noon. If I have canceled classes, I would be so happy. I managed to steal time to blog this very long un-updated blog. I apologised first for future un-updated blog. I might not have the time as assignments are starting to pour in. I have much to do yet I went to the morning market in Kangar this morning. I went to eat some Char Koay Teow...haha. Miss Penang food. Here the Chinese food is okay but not as nice as Penang. People here are okay and the university is actually not bad even if there's really nothing here in Perlis except for UniMAP. Yet, there are no entertainment here. The uni block us from going into Youtube or any sites which have downloading stuff or entertainment stuff. Maybe some of the actions were right especially when students these days tend to misuse the internet for other purposes. Still I wish I could watching some drama series or read about entertainment news. I do read some like in MSN or Yahoo but there is so little to read of. I miss entertaiment gossips and news about what happening around and television. Nevertheless, the main purpose I'm here in Perlis is to study and not to play. So i'll try to bear with it. Kambateh to me!!!!
Hopefully I'll be back in Penang soon and all of us can meet up. Especially the kiddies. I miss you guys. So take care all and don't forget about me here in little state of Perlis. Danke (Thank You).